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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660347">Ezran Appreciation Week</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blutopaz15/pseuds/blutopaz15'>blutopaz15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animals, Childhood, Ezran Appreciation Week, Family, Jelly Tarts, King Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Long Live the King!, Wordcount: 500-1.000, one shots</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:56:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blutopaz15/pseuds/blutopaz15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A compilation of one-shots written for Ezran Appreciation Week (11/22-11/28) on Tumblr.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bait &amp; Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Callum &amp; Ezran &amp; Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum &amp; Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Claudia &amp; Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Corvus &amp; Ezran &amp; Opeli (Dragon Prince), Corvus &amp; Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Ezran &amp; Opeli (The Dragon Prince), Ezran &amp; Rayla (The Dragon Prince)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Animals/Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey all! I'm participating in <a href="https://raayllum.tumblr.com/post/632073081448529920/welcome-everyone-to-the-hesitant-scheduling-and">Ezran Appreciation Week over on Tumblr.</a> I'm excited to share what I've come up with about our wonderful and precious king!!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Animals/Magic (Day 1): Ezran knows that Opeli doesn’t like it when he disappears into town for the day.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Day 1! Yay!</p><p>This first one is kind of on the serious side with our sweet baby king a little bit more grown up here. I hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ezran knows that Opeli doesn’t like it when he disappears into town for the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The first time he planned to do it, she caught him at the castle gate with the question, “May I be frank?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was code for, “May I yell at you?” He always said yes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She immediately flew into a long lecture about </span>
  <em>
    <span>safety</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>responsibility</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>danger</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>just-because-you’re-a-teenager-now-doesn’t-mean-you-can-just-go-off-and-do-whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Nevertheless, he insisted, pulling the I’m-the-king card. She’d finally relented when she realized that he already had Corvus in tow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s pretty sure Corvus doesn’t like it either, but, nevertheless, he gets up early with him once a month, when he is </span>
  <em>
    <span>specifically requested</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and helps him avoid Opeli’s wrath. Leaving a note on Ezran’s bed, they usually set off right at dawn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rayla always praises him for his days spent in town when he returns at dinnertime. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ez, you have a good heart,” Rayla repeats to him, ruffling his hair, even though he nearly matches her height now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows she and Callum believe he goes to town in order to talk to his people and see how they live. And, that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>partially</span>
  </em>
  <span> true. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to know what their lives are like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which is why he’s really there to listen to the animals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The animals don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>care</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he’s the king. They don’t bow or kneel when he approaches. They don’t tell him everything is fine, when things are decidedly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not fine. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They don’t hide any pain out of propriety. They’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>honest</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he knows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows which families barely have enough to eat from their pet cat who goes down the block to a trash can for </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> a few scraps to supplement its meager meal. (There is always excess at the castle.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows that the young man across the way (maybe only a little older than Ezran himself) with a bird on his shoulder desperately needs a job. (If Soren can’t find something for him, then Opeli certainly can.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows to ask the little girl watching him from her doorway about the pictures she draws while her dog sits up with her at night. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Did you know my brother is an artist, too?)</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows which houses to send the castle’s doctor to from field mice that scurry away into overgrown gardens. (She’s always happy to make house calls.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows where to send an anonymous note when a little boy loses his dad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pause each time to buy lunch from a street vendor. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, I insist. And keep the change.</span>
  </em>
  <span>) Corvus doesn’t usually remark on their journey through the streets or on the little scrap of paper Ezran jots notes down on as they eat. One day, though, he says, “You certainly have a way with people, King Ezran.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really,” the young king shrugs with a slight smile.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Favorite Relationship/Childhood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Favorite Relationship/Childhood (Day 2): The afternoons were lonely for the six-year-old prince, with nothing to do and no one to talk to.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was the first little fic I actually got done for this week of appreciating our wise baby king! I would say this is mostly in the vein of the "childhood" prompt because this is definitely not my FAVORITE Ez relationship...though I do find it to be an interesting one!</p><p>here's sweet, baby 6-year-old Ez being babysat by Claudia!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The afternoons were lonely for the six-year-old prince, with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Lessons were done, lunch had been eaten, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> was busy. Dad took audiences with citizens starting at noon, Callum had some afternoon lessons to begrudgingly attend most days, and there weren’t even any jelly tarts to steal from the kitchen at this time of day. So, most of the time, it was just him and Bait. And sometimes, Claudia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered being huddled behind a suit of armor in the main hall of the castle one dark and rainy afternoon, flipping through the picture-book that Callum had drawn him for his last birthday by the light of Bait’s glow. That was the first time she had appointed herself his unofficial, early-afternoon babysitter. </span>
</p><p><span>Ez was oblivious to the footsteps he heard approaching until he heard her speak. “Hmmm, I </span><em><span>wonder</span></em> <em><span>why</span></em><span> this armor is </span><em><span>glowing</span></em><span>?” Claudia wondered aloud. Ezran looked up from his favorite page—the one where Callum had drawn Bait standing on his hind legs, wielding a sword—and peered between the shins of the metal suit. He giggled at her perplexed expression. </span></p><p>
  <span>“And now it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>laughing</span>
  </em>
  <span> too? Is this some sort of </span>
  <em>
    <span>magic</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” She stepped closer and knocked on the arm of the armor. Ezran gasped when Bait turned purple briefly, startled by the sound, and croaked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I know that sound!” Knowing now Bait had certainly blown their cover, Ezran put his hands over his eyes and drew his knees into his chest, bundling into a tiny ball, grinning all the while. “Oh! Bait’s here! What are you doing back there, Bait?” Ez tried to stifle another giggle as he sensed her bending down to pick Bait up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you seen Prince Ezran, Bait?” The prince separated his fingers to peek at Claudia, who was holding Bait up in front of her face as if they were having a very serious conversation. “Now, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ezran wouldn’t just leave you here by yourself! So, where could he be?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ezran’s grin couldn’t contain his giddiness any longer. “Claudia! I’m right here,” he exclaimed. He uncovered his face and uncurled his legs, waving up at her with both hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! </span>
  <em>
    <span>There</span>
  </em>
  <span> you are, Ez!” She smiled and cradled Bait under her arm. “I don’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> I missed you there!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was there the whole time!” He explained, his little shoulders shaking with laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what are you up to, Prince Ezran?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Reading! Callum made this for me!” He stood up and grabbed the twine-bound picture book from where it laid on the floor. He closed it and showed her the cover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that was nice of him!” She remarked, kneeling down to look closer. She placed Bait back on the ground, and he immediately crawled back into the corner, his yellow glow illuminating the dark nook again</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to read it to you?” Ezran smiled up at Claudia brightly. She agreed, and they both followed Bait back behind the armor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flipped the book open to the first page, slowly reading the words Callum had scrawled across the bottom of the illustrations before flipping the book around to show her the drawings. Claudia patiently pointed at all of the different pieces of the pictures, asking Ezran to explain even the most obvious of details before he continued on to read the next page. The time flew, and before they knew it, Callum was peering around the corner at them, looking deflated from whatever lesson he’d endured that afternoon. Realizing what his brother was showing Claudia, the older prince mumbled an excuse about going to find the king.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye, Claudia!” Ezran waved, book under one arm, Bait under the other, as they started towards the throne room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“See you later, Ez!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From then on, at least on rainy afternoons, Ezran wasn’t lonely anymore.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Jelly Tarts/Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jelly Tarts/Family (Day 3): Ezran really liked having a sister.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really, really love this one, even though I know that Callum's jerkface-iness probably calls for more of an explanation than is given, but I really really love the idea of Ez and Rayla conspiring to drive Callum crazy, especially after he'd been a jerkface!</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ezran <em> really </em> liked having a sister. </p><p>Partially because it meant he had a co-conspirator against Callum. So when their favorite jerkface started being—well, a <em> jerkface </em> —a few days into their vacation at the Banther Lodge, Ezran now had an accomplice in his efforts to get under <em> his </em> skin in return.</p><p>It had started when a particularly <em> crabby </em> Callum started griping about charades one evening. As far as Ezran could tell, Callum’s wild flailing could only have been his interpretation of swimming, so he rattled off every sea creature he could think of as the seconds ticked away. When the sand ran out in the timer, Callum started in on him, ranting about how <em> obviously </em> he was pantomiming <em> flying </em>. Ezran had just crossed his arms, calling him a sore loser. Callum’s face had reddened, and when he let fly a particularly salty insult, Rayla’s head whipped around to glare at Callum faster than Ezran had ever seen before.</p><p>“Don’t yell at him!” She looked ready to throttle Callum when he <em> scoffed </em> in response. Her jaw was set in anger when she and Ezran shared a conniving look.</p><p>The next morning, when Ezran woke up, he found Rayla calmly at the table, a cup of tea in her hands, while the sounds of Callum tearing through his room mumbling in frustration came down over the balcony.</p><p>“What’s going on?” He’d asked with a yawn.</p><p>Rayla just pointed to one of the statues across the way in the sitting room, which was now sporting a red scarf. Ezran grinned and joined her at the table, where she poured him some tea too.</p><p>The next day, Callum had started griping at him <em> again </em> , this time about Ezran using the last of the snowman/elf supplies. Apparently to Callum, using <em> two </em> carrots for a snowelf with both a nose <em> and </em> horns was an offense worth yelling over. Ezran shouted back that he was a jerk, and Callum stomped away, apparently unwilling to acknowledge his stupitude.</p><p>Rayla’s appeared at Ezran’s side as Callum stormed off. “Meet me in the kitchen when the clock strikes three tonight,” she said mysteriously, before disappearing to follow Callum’s steps into the woods. </p><p>Ezran pieced together from the way they sat at opposite corners of the room over dinner and the way that Rayla camped out with blanket and pillow in the sitting room at bedtime, that whatever she’d had to say to Callum in the woods had <em> not </em> been pleasant or well-received. </p><p>He’d asked if everything was okay after Callum had disappeared to go to bed, and she’d been reassuring. “Eh, it’s fine. Don’t forget the plan.”</p><p>So, at three in the morning, Ezran came down the stairs and heard pots and pans clattering in the kitchen already. </p><p>“Rayla?” He set Bait on the counter, and he obligingly glowed a little brighter to add to the dim lantern light.</p><p>“Morning, Ez!” She called cheerily, reaching for the flour on a high shelf in the pantry.</p><p>“What are you doing?” He asked, rubbing at his eyes.</p><p>“We’re going to make jelly tarts!” She explained with a grin.</p><p>“Okay! I’m always up for jelly tarts,” he said, turning to the cabinet to survey their jelly choices.</p><p>“<em> Fake </em> jelly tarts,” she clarified. Ezran gave her a puzzled look. “...and I guess we <em> should </em> make some real ones too while we’re at it.” She shrugged.</p><p>“I’m not following,” he said, looking away from the jars of jelly to understand.</p><p>“Well, for <em> Callum </em> we’ll make some <em> ketchup </em> tarts.” She held up the glass bottle of ketchup. “And I guess for <em> us </em> we can make...I don’t know...raspberry? Strawberry? Whatever you want, as long as it’s red,” she smirked mischievously.</p><p>“Rayla, you’re an evil genius,” Ezran grinned back, and they got started.</p><p>—</p><p>When the morning came and they heard Callum’s door creak open, Rayla and Ezran hushed each other and scrambled to the table, sitting at the side nearest to the part of the platter with the <em> real </em> tarts.</p><p>“Oh, good. I’m glad you’re both up,” Callum, dark circles under his eyes betraying a restless night, came to sit opposite his brother. “Listen, guys. I thought about what you both said, and you’re right. I have been really rude and grumpy and...jerkface-y...lately. I’m sorry. And I’m ready to pay the price.” He stood and waited for a response, clearly expecting Ezran to insist on a jerkface dance. </p><p>Rayla looked to Ez, uncertain if he’d want to continue on with the rest of their prank given Callum’s apology. Ezran raised his eyebrows and glanced at the platter, smile <em> almost </em> undetectable.</p><p>“No need, Callum,” Ez started, holding up a hand diplomatically. “We forgive you.”</p><p>“In fact, we made these as a peace offering,” Rayla played along and plucked a tart from <em> Callum’s </em> side of the plate to hand to him. </p><p>“Wow, I really don’t deserve you two,” he started, then took a bite. The ketchup oozed out, betraying its entirely un-jelly-like consistency, but Callum seemed not to notice. Ezran looked to see Rayla’s mouth twitching like his was as they both tried desperately to contain their twisted glee. </p><p>“Thank you for being—” He froze and stopped chewing, his face growing red. Ezran broke first, grin giving way into a giggle and then full-bellied laughter as he watched Callum examine the red goop and stick a finger in it to taste it on its own. “Okay, I deserved that.” His face fell into a good-natured and understanding frown.</p><p>Rayla wiped a tear from her eyes as she cackled alongside Ez. She choked out the words between waves of laughter. “That’s what you get for messing with my little brother.” She winked at Ezran as she called him her brother. Ezran <em> really </em> liked having a sister.</p>
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